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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044512">You Give Me Purpose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NcityStories/pseuds/NcityStories'>NcityStories</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>NCT Requests! [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, forest, kidnapping mystery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:33:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,215</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NcityStories/pseuds/NcityStories</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeno and Donghyuck run in different crowds. They've never met. They never knew about each other. That all changes when Donghyuck and Jeno wake up in the middle of a forest with no memory of their abductions.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>NCT Requests! [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733401</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>You Give Me Purpose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a request from a follower from twitter! You can request your own story through my twitter @bycaliforjohnny!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There are few things more terrifying in life than waking up in a dark, eerie forest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How about waking up in a dark, eerie forest with a complete stranger?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Donghyuck thought to himself. It was hard to guess what time it was because the foliage was so dense that little to no light trickled in. There was a somewhat abandoned looking trail to his left and a sleeping guy to his right. There was a bit of blood trickling down the guy’s forehead and he looked a bit pale to Donghyuck. But then again, people could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> pale in Korea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Donghyuck takes a moment to think about how he got here. He remembered the bar he was at. It was small and dingy, but they didn’t look twice at the underage man. </span>
  <em>
    <span>By a year.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Donghyuck thinks to himself. He remembered needing to use the bathroom. He remembered washing his hands after finishing. But it’s all black after that. Nothing. He wasn’t hit. He had no bruises to speak of and his head felt just fine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was startled out of his thoughts when the man next to him shifted and groaned. Donghyuck moved back a bit as he waited for the man to come to his senses. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um… Hey?” He let out lamely. The guy jumped and shuffled back as he looked around wildly. His breathing was labored and his eyes were wide. “Hey, you gotta calm down. I have no idea where we are or how we got here, but we won’t get out if you pass out. I’m not strong enough to carry you out, dude.” The man looked at him, terrified. His eyes began to shine and Donghyuck had the urge to wrap his arms around the man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who are you? Where are we?” The boy’s breathing was becoming more and more labored. Donghyuck put his hands up and began to inch towards the guy. He was going to pass out if he didn’t calm down soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My name is Lee Donghyuck. I was born in 2000. I grew up in Jeju. I don’t know where we are or how we got here or even why we were left together. But I do know that if you keep hyperventilating, we’ll be stuck here longer because you’ll pass out. You don’t want that, do you?” The guy shook his head. “Do you want a hug or something?” Donghyuck asked, scratching the back of his neck. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God, I suck at comforting people. That’s Taeyong hyung’s job.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The guy looked like he was going to refuse before he nodded. Donghyuck shuffled forward and wrapped his arms around him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My name- My name is Lee Jeno.” Jeno attempted a smile. It fell a little flat, but Donghyuck wouldn’t judge him for that. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> stuck in the creepiest forest one could dream up and on top of that, they have no idea how they got here or why. Jeno slowly began to relax in Donghyuck’s arms. “I was born in-” He took a second to gasp in some air. “I was born in 2000 as well. I grew up in Incheon and I just wanna go home to my cats.” Donghyuck smiled and tightened his arms around Jeno. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Jeno. Let’s get you back to your cats, yeah?” Jeno nodded. “First things first: what do you remember?” Jeno’s brows furrowed as he stared off in the distance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember the bar I was at. I remember drinking with my friend. Renjun Hyung passed his final and hardest midterm, so we were celebrating at this dingy bar. It wasn’t perfect, but they don’t ask questions.” Donghyuck stilled. “I remember needing to pee </span>
  <em>
    <span>so bad</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I remember bumping into someone as I rushed to the bathroom. Nothing after that.” He shifts and looks at Donghyuck. “What do you remember?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember being at a dingy bar that doesn’t ask questions. I remember ordering a drink and someone knocking into me as I reached for it. I remember having to use the bathroom myself and I also remember washing my hands. I don’t remember anything after the bathroom. You have a bruise on your head and some blood. You probably fought back. Knowing myself, I probably tried to talk my way out of it.” He huffed a sigh and looked around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was the name of the bar you were at?” Donghyuck shrugged. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I always forget what its </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> named, but everyone around campus calls it the 7th Sense.” Jeno stilled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was there that night and you were the one I bumped into.” Jeno sighed. “But still. Why us? Why are we here? Are we going to die?” Donghyuck could sense the packing rising in Jeno once more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey. Hey! We are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to die. Stay with me Jeno. We are going to get up and follow this path. It’s our best guess. Are you with me?” Jeno nodded. “Good. Let’s get up and stretch. We look to be in pretty deep, so we’re going to have to walk for a while.” Donghyuck got up a bit wobbly but managed to stay upright. He reached down and helped Jeno up, who stumbled a bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dizzy. Gimme a moment.” He said. After a few minutes, Jeno let go and sighed. “How far do you think we are? Where the hell did they even find a forest like this?” Donghyuck tilted his head to the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The better question is, are we even still in Seoul?” He shook his head. “Anyways, we need to get walking. I have no idea how long we’ve been gone and I’d like a nice drink of water.” They walked up to the abandoned looking path. Donghyuck noticed a small glint from the path and reached down to pick up the object. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is that?” Jeno asked. Donghyuck opened the top of the circular object. “A compass? Did you have one on you when we were taken?” Donghyuck shook his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope. And I’m guessing you didn’t either. He turned to the left. “That’s West. We should probably head that way. Not sure what forest this is, but there should be an entrance to the left, right?” Jeno shrugged. “West is it then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They began walking in silence. It was eerie to walk through a silent forest. There was a stark absence of bird sounds and other notable animal sounds. A faint rustling of the wind breezing through the trees could be heard, but that was it. The most disturbing part was the distinct lack of the usual sounds of traffic that could be heard in the city. Seoul had many places to hike, but Donghyuck didn’t remember any of those spots having such dense foliage. It felt like they had been walking for hours when Jeno tripped over a root. Donghyuck reached out and steadied him, noticing how labored his breathing was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” He asked. Jeno shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thirsty.” He muttered. Donghyuck nodded. He had been feeling parched himself but had tried to ignore it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s keep walking. The more we walk, the closer we get to find some water.” Jeno nodded. Just then, a loud rustling sounded from behind them. Donghyuck whipped his head around to see some bushes off to the right of them moving around violently. The two boys looked at each other in the eyes before taking off down the path. They ran for as long as they could before slowing down. They reached a sign that read “Yumyeongsan Mountain Natural Recreation Forest.” Donghyuck’s eyes widened as he read the sign. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re not even in Seoul!”He cried out. It was Donghyuck’s turn to hyperventilate. Jeno immediately hugged the boy and began to cycle through breathing exercises to try and calm the boy down. They stood there embracing one another as the gravity of their situation sunk in. They were out in the middle of a forest, hundreds of miles away from where they were last seen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s keep walking,” Jeno whispered. It took a minute, but Donghyuck nodded and turned to continue walking. Jeno walked alongside him and reached for his hand. Donghyuck looked down at their hands before lacing them together and turning forward. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They walked for a while longer before coming upon a seemingly empty guard shack. They knocked, but there was no answer. Jeno shrugged and tried twisting the doorknob. They were delighted to find that it was unlocked. They entered to find a man sleeping on a couch with earbuds blasting loud rock music. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s why there was no answer.” Donghyuck deadpanned. He tilted his head to the side as he studied the guy on the couch. He had to be about a few years younger than Donghyuck. He had dark brown hair and pouty lips. He let out a snore and whimpered a small “Chenle” before turning over. His earbuds dropped and his sat up, startled. Upon finding Jeno and Donghyuck staring at him, he let out a little scream before scrambling back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait!” Jeno yelled. “My name is Jeno and I was kidnapped. Can you help us?” Donghyuck looked at Jeno questioningly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jeno.” He whispered. “How do you know we can trust him?” Jeno shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll never know unless we try. Besides, does he look like he can take us both on </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> drag us all the way through the forest?” Donghyuck shook his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve got a point.” Donghyuck conceded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me. Who exactly are yo-” His eyes widened. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait</span>
  </em>
  <span>, did you say Jeno? As in Lee Jeno? The guy that went missing two weeks ago?” Donghyuck stilled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Two weeks</span>
  </em>
  <span>?! “I have to call the rangers in. I have to tell them you guys are here!” The kid jumped up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait. What’s your name?” Donghyuck asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Park Jisung! Ranger in training!” He waved awkwardly. “I’d say nice to meet you, but this is kind of a weird situation.” He shifted from foot to foot. “Oh yeah! Rangers!” he pushed past them ot the phone mounted on the wall. He grabbed the phone and held down a button before putting the phone to his ear. “Hello? Chenle? Can you hear me?” He nodded. “Chenle! Tell Doyoung Hyung to come quickly! Those missing guys are here!” He hummed and blushed. “Yeah, I miss you too, baby. I’ll see you tonight. Now go tell Hyung!” He nodded once more before returning the phone to its base. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well?” Donghyuck asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’ll be here shortly. Doyoung Hyung says that Yuta Hyung was in the area. He’ll be by to pick you guys up in a few minutes. He’ll take you to the main entrance where the cops will be waiting for you. The two boys nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Before we go, can I get your number?” Jeno asked. “I’d like to treat you later for helping us.” Jisung blushed but fished a card out of the pocket on his chest and presented it to Jeno.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is Mark Hyung’s business card. I lost my phone again, so I direct all calls to him until I find it.” He blushed even deeper. “I lose things and break things a lot, so Mark Hyung is always taking calls for me.” Jeno nodded and turned to say something when another person barged into the small shack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jisungie! I missed you!” The blond man cried out as he launched himself at Jisung. Jisung grunted as the man squeezed him, but smiled and hugged him back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s only been two days, Yuta Hyung.” Yuta shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Two days too long!” He cried out dramatically before sighing and turning to look at Jeno and Donghyuck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re the missing boys. What are you doing all the way out here?” Yuta asked casually. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No clue. One minute I’m taking a piss in the bathroom of a dingy bar and next thing I know, I’m waking up on the forest floor next to Jeno.” Yuta nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s go. We need to get you guys to the entrance.” He turned to Jisung. “You too Jisungie. Cops said everyone needs to be there.” They all nodded and made their way out of the shack. Yuta locked it behind them and turned to lead them to the big truck parked a little ways from the shack. When they got closer Donghyuck noticed something on the side of the truck. It was written in reddish paint and said: “I’m still watching you little birdies.” Yuta got closer to the note before gasping and jerking back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it?” Jisung asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s..” Yuta looked at them, eyes wide. “It’s written in blood.” They all gasped and jerked around to observe their surroundings. They saw nothing but forest. They heard nothing but wind winding through trees. Yuta glanced back at them before demanding they all get in the truck. Once in, he started the truck and quickly whipped around to head down a beaten trail Donghyuvk hadn’t noticed. Their hearts beat fast and Donghyuck felt like crying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is happening?” Jisung whimpered out. Yuta reached across to hold his hand. Jisung gripped the hand tight as he let out soft little sobs. Donghyuck felt as if this was his fault. Well, Jeno’s too. They had been kidnapped and left in the middle of a forest. Surely their kidnapper (or kidnappers) hadn’t meant for them to survive. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you like this story, let me know and I'll continue it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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